FN Dish

Food Court Wars: Middle Eastern Flavors vs. Chip-Stuffed Sandwiches

OnFood Court Wars, two teams of aspiring restaurant owners battle it out to win their very own food court restaurant worth $100,000. Through a set of challenges that test their menu offerings and marketability, the team that makes the most sales on grand-opening day wins.

On tonight's episode in the Midland Mall in Michigan, two teams waged a battle of Lebanese foods vs. sandwiches. Diana, the owner of Mediterranean restaurant World Cafe, and her chef and general manager, Melania, wanted to open up a Lebanese food court eatery to expand their business. Jonathan and his friend Craig — both restaurant employees — want to be their own bosses and open up Chip-n-Wich, selling sandwiches that feature potato chips stuffed inside. Both teams had great concepts, but would their offerings live up to the expectations of discerning mall shoppers?

For the first challenge, the teams cooked samplings for the mall customers, but unbeknown to them, a local food blogger would get a taste, too. Neither team had a landslide: Oasis' chicken shawarma sandwich didn't have enough flavor, and Chip-n-Wich's chicken sandwich had too much bread. In the end, Chip-n-Wich won the challenge and received a positive blog review.

For the second challenge, both teams had the chance to serve at a local baseball game in an effort to market their grand openings. Chip-n-Wich served turkey club sandwiches and Oasis offered up falafel pitas. Unfortunately a divide formed between Diana and Melania, as Melania felt Diana was micromanaging. Tyler warned the ladies to work out their differences before grand opening. The next day would prove if they could work together without clashing.

On grand-opening day Chip-n-Wich got off to a late start because Craig had nearly forgotten to write out the menu, however, he did forget to write that potato chips were served inside the sandwiches. It left him having to explain their signature concept to customers, which took up precious time. It didn't matter in the end, because the stellar sandwiches that they created outsold the Middle Eastern dishes of Oasis and won them the food court space. Now the guys can be their own bosses and make better lives for their loving families.